Processes for producing high biogenic concentration fischer-tropsch liquids derived from municipal solid wastes (MSW) feedstocks

Abstract

Processes for producing high biogenic concentration Fischer-Tropsch liquids derived from the organic fraction of municipal solid wastes (MSW) feedstock that contains a relatively high concentration of biogenic carbon (derived from plants) and a relatively low concentration of non-biogenic carbon (derived from fossil sources) wherein the biogenic content of the Fischer-Tropsch liquids is the same as the biogenic content of the feedstock.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A process for producing a transportation fuel or fuel additive derived from municipal solid wastes (MSW) that contain materials that are produced from biogenic derived carbon materials and non-biogenic derived carbon materials, the process comprising the steps of:
 a) in a feedstock processing step, producing a processed MSW feedstock that contains a higher concentration of biogenic carbon materials than non-biogenic carbon materials; 
 b) converting the processed MSW feedstock into Fischer-Tropsch liquids in a bio-refinery while maintaining a greater concentration of biogenic carbon than non-biogenic carbon; and 
 c) upgrading the Fischer-Tropsch liquids into a transportation fuel or fuel additive while maintaining a greater concentration of biogenic carbon than non-biogenic carbon. 
 
     
     
       2. The process according to  claim 1  wherein the step of converting the processed MSW feedstock into Fischer-Tropsch liquids in the bio-refinery, further comprises:
 converting the processed MSW feedstock in a gasification island. 
 
     
     
       3. The process according to  claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
 in a power generation process, converting at least a portion of the biogenic carbon material into biogenic carbon derived power. 
 
     
     
       4. The process according to  claim 1  wherein in the feedstock processing step, more than 10% of the non-biogenic derived carbon materials are removed. 
     
     
       5. The process according to  claim 1  wherein in the feedstock processing step, up to 80% of the non-biogenic derived carbon materials are removed. 
     
     
       6. The process according to  claim 1  wherein in the feedstock processing step, between about 10% and 90% of the non-biogenic derived carbon materials are removed. 
     
     
       7. The process according to  claim 1 , the converting step being comprised of three stages carried out in a gasification island:
 1) steam reforming the processed feedstock in a steam reformer configured to dry, volatilize and gasify the processed feedstock to produce syngas containing CO, H 2 , H 2 O and CO 2 , unreacted char, inert solids and unreacted hydrocarbons; 
 2) further gasifying in a sub-stoichiometric carbon oxidation unit configured to gasify the unreacted char from the steam reformer; and 
 3) hydrocarbon reforming in a hydrocarbon reforming unit configured to convert remaining char, hydrocarbons and tars into syngas. 
 
     
     
       8. The process according to  claim 7 , further comprising:
 conditioning the syngas in a syngas conditioning unit configured to receive the syngas from the gasification island and remove contaminants, remove or recover CO 2  and provide a CO 2  recycle stream for recycling biogenic CO 2  to the gasification island for biogenic carbon conservation and to adjust the H 2 :CO 2  ratio in the syngas to a predetermined value; 
 converting the syngas into Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) liquids in one or more F-T reactors; 
 separating the F-T liquids in a separation system into heavy F-T liquids (HFTL) and medium F-T liquids (MFTL); and 
 upgrading the separated F-T liquids in an upgrading system comprising a hydrotreating/hydrocracking reactor and fractionation system configured to upgrade the HFTL and MFTL into a transportation fuel. 
 
     
     
       9. A process for producing Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) liquids derived from municipal solid wastes (MSW) that contain materials that are produced from biogenic derived carbon materials and non-biogenic derived carbon materials, the process comprising the steps of:
 a) in a feedstock processing step, producing a processed MSW feedstock that contains a higher concentration of biogenic carbon materials than non-biogenic carbon materials; and 
 b) converting the processed MSW feedstock into Fischer-Tropsch liquids in a bio-refinery while maintaining a greater concentration of biogenic carbon than non-biogenic carbon. 
 
     
     
       10. The process according to  claim 9 , wherein the converting step is comprised of three stages carried out in a gasification island:
 1) steam reforming the processed feedstock in a steam reformer configured to dry, volatilize and gasify the processed feedstock to produce syngas containing CO, H 2 , H 2 O and CO 2 , unreacted char, inert solids and unreacted hydrocarbons; 
 2) further gasifying in a sub-stoichiometric carbon oxidation unit configured to gasify the unreacted char from the steam reformer; and 
 3) hydrocarbon reforming in a hydrocarbon reforming unit configured to convert remaining char, hydrocarbons and tars into syngas. 
 
     
     
       11. The process according to  claim 10 , further comprising:
 conditioning the syngas in a syngas conditioning unit configured to receive the syngas from the gasification island and remove contaminants, remove or recover CO 2  and provide a CO 2  recycle stream for recycling biogenic CO 2  to the gasification island for biogenic carbon conservation and to adjust the H 2 :CO 2  ratio in the syngas to a predetermined value; and 
 converting the syngas into Fischer-Tropsch liquids in one or more F-T reactors. 
 
     
     
       12. The process according to  claim 9  wherein in the feedstock processing step, more than 10% of the non-biogenic derived carbon materials are removed. 
     
     
       13. The process according to  claim 9  wherein in the feedstock processing step, up to 80% of the non-biogenic derived carbon materials are removed. 
     
     
       14. The process according to  claim 9  wherein in the feedstock processing step, between about 10% and 90% of the non-biogenic derived carbon materials are removed. 
     
     
       15. The process according to  claim 9 , further comprising the step of:
 in a power generation process, converting at least a portion of the biogenic carbon material into biogenic carbon derived power. 
 
     
     
       16. A process for producing Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) liquids derived from municipal solid wastes (MSW) that contain materials that are produced from biogenic derived carbon materials and non-biogenic derived carbon materials, the process comprising:
 providing to a bio-refinery, a processed MSW feedstock that contains a higher concentration of biogenic carbon materials than non-biogenic carbon materials; and 
 converting the processed MSW feedstock into Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) liquids in the bio-refinery while maintaining a greater concentration of biogenic carbon than non-biogenic carbon. 
 
     
     
       17. The process according to  claim 16 , wherein the converting step is comprised of three stages carried out in a gasification island:
 1) steam reforming the processed MSW feedstock in a steam reformer configured to dry, volatilize and gasify the processed MSW feedstock to produce syngas containing CO, H 2 , H 2 O and CO 2 , unreacted char, inert solids and unreacted hydrocarbons; 
 2) further gasifying in a sub-stoichiometric carbon oxidation unit configured to gasify the unreacted char from the steam reformer; and 
 3) hydrocarbon reforming in a hydrocarbon reforming unit configured to convert remaining char, hydrocarbons and tars into syngas. 
 
     
     
       18. The process according to  claim 17 , further comprising:
 conditioning the syngas in a syngas conditioning unit configured to receive the syngas from the gasification island and remove contaminants, remove or recover CO 2  and provide a CO 2  recycle stream for recycling biogenic CO 2  to the gasification island for biogenic carbon conservation and to adjust the H 2 :CO 2  ratio in the syngas to a predetermined value; and 
 converting the syngas into Fischer-Tropsch liquids in one or more F-T reactors. 
 
     
     
       19. The process according to  claim 16 , further comprising the step of:
 in a power generation process, converting at least a portion of the biogenic carbon material into biogenic carbon derived power. 
 
     
     
       20. A process for producing a transportation fuel or fuel additive derived from municipal solid wastes (MSW) that contain materials that are produced from biogenic derived carbon materials and non-biogenic derived carbon materials, the process comprising the steps of:
 a) providing to a bio-refinery, a processed MSW feedstock that contains a higher concentration of biogenic carbon materials than non-biogenic carbon materials; 
 b) converting the processed MSW feedstock into Fischer-Tropsch liquids in the bio-refinery while maintaining a greater concentration of biogenic carbon than non-biogenic carbon; 
 and c) upgrading the Fischer-Tropsch liquids into a transportation fuel or fuel additive while maintaining a greater concentration of biogenic carbon than non-biogenic carbon. 
 
     
     
       21. The process according to  claim 20  wherein the step of converting the processed MSW feedstock into Fischer-Tropsch liquids in the bio-refinery, further comprises: converting the processed MSW feedstock in a gasification island. 
     
     
       22. The process according to  claim 20 , further comprising the step of:
 in a power generation process, converting at least a portion of the biogenic carbon material into biogenic carbon derived power. 
 
     
     
       23. The process according to  claim 20 , the converting step being comprised of three stages carried out in a gasification island:
 1) steam reforming the processed MSW feedstock in a steam reformer configured to dry, volatilize and gasify the processed MSW feedstock to produce syngas containing CO, H 2 , H 2 O and CO 2 , unreacted char, inert solids and unreacted hydrocarbons; 
 2) further gasifying in a sub-stoichiometric carbon oxidation unit configured to gasify the unreacted char from the steam reformer; and 
 3) hydrocarbon reforming in a hydrocarbon reforming unit configured to convert remaining char, hydrocarbons and tars into syngas. 
 
     
     
       24. The process according to  claim 23 , further comprising:
 conditioning the syngas in a syngas conditioning unit configured to receive the syngas from the gasification island and remove contaminants, remove or recover CO 2  and provide a CO 2  recycle stream for recycling biogenic CO 2  to the gasification island for biogenic carbon conservation and to adjust the H 2 :CO 2  ratio in the syngas to a predetermined value; 
 converting the syngas into Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) liquids in one or more F-T reactors; 
 separating the F-T liquids in a separation system into heavy F-T liquids (HFTL) and medium F-T liquids (MFTL); and 
 upgrading the separated F-T liquids in an upgrading system comprising a hydrotreating/hydrocracking reactor and fractionation system configured to upgrade the HFTL and MFTL into a transportation fuel.